After Effects offers native support for editing your 360/VR videos. You can use a host of dynamic transitions, effects, and titles to edit and enhance the immersive video experience. You can experiment with the different 360/VR tools in After Effects for a seamless post-production workflow.

Work with VR tools in After Effects

Work with VR tools in After Effects

ملاحظة:

When you work with VR, you could run into memory limitations indicated by a banner that states - Requires GPU Acceleration. By default, Adobe video applications require approximately 1GB of memory for every 1K of horizontal resolution when working in VR. In After Effects 2018, you can reduce the requirements, called Aggressive Memory Management. To enable the setting, select Preferences > Previews > GPU Information > Aggressive GPU memory use (for VR).

Tools to construct VR environments

The following are tools in After Effects you can use to edit your 360/VR videos:

The 360/VR tools in After Effects automate complex compositions and workflows for a seamless 360 production. These tools provide accurate results and reduce editing time.

Create VR Environment

Create VR Environment automates the process of comp creation and camera relationship setup. You can use it to automate aspects of VR authoring environment in After Effects.

Work with Create VR Environment

In the Create VR Environment dialog, if you want to create a VR master from scratch, choose the Size of your master (1024x1024 works for most of the VR compositions). Set the Frame Rate and Duration of your VR Master, and click Create VR Master.

Create VR Environment

In the Composition window, change the view to Custom View 1 and create your immersive video. You can select from the various immersive video and other effects in the Effects & Presets panel.

Once you are ready with your composition, open the Create VR Environment dialog and click Generate VR Output. After Effects creates all the compositions, expressions, and adds cameras and distortions required to create a Cubic Map.

To modify your VR Master and apply the changes to your VR comp, click Refresh VR Output in the Create VR Environment dialog. After Effects deletes all comps and recreates them based on the modifications, you made to your VR master.

VR output settings

Camera Settings:

Use 2-node camera: Select the option if you want to use a 2-node camera.

Use 3D Null camera Control: Select the option if you want to control your SkyBox Camera via a 3D Null layer.

Center camera: Select the option if you want to center-align the camera.

Advanced settings:

I am using 3D plugins: Select the option if you are using 3D plug-ins.

Use edge blending: Select the option when you use plugins that are not true 3D plug-ins.

Extract Cubemap

Extract Cubemap removes equirectangular distortion from 360-degree footage and extracts six separate camera views. The six camera views are positioned in a cube formation. You can do motion-tracking, object removal, add motion graphics, and vfx to the composition.

Work with Extract Cubemap

In the VR Extract Cubemap dialog, select a composition from the drop-down list, choose Conversion Resolution, and click Extract Cubemap.

Extract Cubemap

After Effects generates a cubemap output for your VR composition. Extract Cubemap adds a VR Master Camera along with six more camera views that are attached to the master camera. Six camera faces are also generated that strategically form a cube.

Six faces that form the cube

Six faces in the Timeline panel

Adobe Immersive Environment

The Adobe Immersive Environment in After Effects allows you to preview how your 360 and 180 degree footage looks like in a VR head-mount display (HMD).

Supported VR headsets

To use your VR headsets, ensure that your system meets the VR system requirements, and install SteamVR application. SteamVR is a virtual reality system that you need whether you are using the HTC Vive or Oculus Rift. For more information, visit the SteamVR support page, and refer to the documentation that came with your headset.